The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins and the sequel to The Hunger Games. It was released on November 22, 2013. Plot After surviving the 74th Hunger Games, "tributes" Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark return home to District 12. They now are required to take a victory tour throughout the country. President Coriolanus Snow visits Katniss and tells her she inspired rebellions in the districts when she and Peeta threatened suicide so both might survive the games. He orders Katniss to convince the country her and Peeta's love was real and the reason for their actions, and to convince Snow himself. The tour first visits District 11, home of Rue, the young girl Katniss tried to protect in the Games. Katniss and Peeta voice their personal thoughts regarding both districts' fallen tributes. A man in the crowd whistles the tune Katniss and Rue used to signal each other, and makes the three-finger salute of District 12. Everyone in the crowd follows suit until a Peacekeeper shoots the man dead, shocking Katniss. Their mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, tells Katniss and Peeta the "show" of their relationship must continue for the rest of their lives. Katniss suggests a public engagement between herself and Peeta, which is carried out and celebrated at Snow's home in the Capitol. Returning home, Katniss warns her friend Gale Hawthorne of Snow's threat to kill both their families. Peacekeepers crack down in District 12, and Gale is publicly whipped after attacking new Head Peacekeeper Romulus Thread. Snow announces Panem's third Quarter Quell, a special version of the Games held every 25 years. For this edition, all tributes will be selected from the existing pool of victors. Katniss immediately devotes herself to ensuring Peeta becomes the Quarter Quell's victor, should he compete in the Games. At the reaping, Katniss, the district's only living female tribute, and Haymitch are reaped by chaperone Effie Trinket. Peeta volunteers to take Haymitch's place and is sent directly to the train with Katniss, without a chance to say goodbye to their loved ones. For her pre-Games interview, Katniss wears the dress she would have worn on her wedding day, as requested by President Snow. When she twirls in the dress to display it to the audience, it bursts into flames and transforms into an outfit resembling a mockingjay designed by Cinna. As a punishment for the scene it caused, Cinna is savagely beaten seconds before an onlooking Katniss enters the arena. Moments after the Games begin, Katniss allies with Finnick Odair and an elderly woman, Mags, from District 4. An electrical barrier shocks Peeta, stopping his heartbeat until Finnick revives him. Mags sacrifices herself to a poisonous fog to allow Finnick to save Peeta instead of her. They rest in the forest, but murderous apes attack. Peeta is again saved when a woman from District 6, a camouflage expert and drug addict, sacrifices herself. They escape to the beach, and are met by District 3's tributes, Wiress and Beetee, and District 7's tribute, Johanna Mason. Wiress discovers the arena is designed like a clock and every hour a specific attack occurs in its designated section. After Wiress' death, Beetee suggests electrocuting the two remaining tributes outside the alliance, District 2's Brutus and Enobaria, using wire and a tree that is struck by lightning each noon and midnight. Johanna and Katniss lay the wire while Finnick and Peeta guard Beetee as he wraps the tree. When the wire snaps, Johanna attacks Katniss, cutting the tracker out of her arm. Katniss tries to find Peeta at the tree. Unable to, she attaches the remaining wire to an arrow and shoots it at the force field during a lightning strike, destroying the arena. Katniss awakens in an aircraft with an unconscious Beetee. Entering the cockpit she finds Haymitch, Finnick and Plutarch Heavensbee, the head gamemaker, revealed to be a rebel against Snow. Learning she is on her way to District 13, though Johanna and Peeta were taken away by the Capitol, she attempts to attack Haymitch for not fulfilling his promise of saving Peeta. Plutarch sedates her and she awakens days later with Gale by her side, who informs her that her family is safe but District 12 has been destroyed. Cast Main Cast *Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen *Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark *Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne *Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy *Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket *Lenny Kravitz as Cinna *Philip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch Heavensbee *Jeffrey Wright as Beetee Latier *Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman *Donald Sutherland as President Coriolanus Snow *Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair *Jena Malone as Johanna Mason *Lynn Cohen as Mags *Amanda Plummer as Wiress *Meta Golding as Enobaria *Bruno Gunn as Brutus *Alan Ritchson as Gloss *Stephanie Leigh Schlund as Cashmere Production Pre-production Lionsgate announced that a film adaptation of Catching Fire would be released as The Hunger Games: Catching Fire on November 21, 2013, as a sequel to the film adaptation of The Hunger Games, with principal photography to take place in September 2012. Simon Beaufoy was hired to write the script for the film and wrote two drafts before leaving after Gary Ross, director of The Hunger Games decided not to direct the sequel. On April 10, 2012, it was announced that Gary Ross, director of The Hunger Games, would not return due to a 'tight' and 'fitted' schedule. Bennett Miller, Joe Cornish, Francis Lawrence and Juan Antonio Bayona were all being considered to direct the new film. On April 19, 2012, it was announced that Francis Lawrence was offered the director position for the film. According to sources, the adaptation needed to be done filming by December 2012 to fit Jennifer Lawrence's schedule. However, after X-Men: Days of Future Past lost its original director and shooting for the film was delayed till April 2013, Jennifer Lawrence was no longer needed to be filming in January 2013 and the shooting timeframe for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was extended to March (including several breaks due to the holidays and awards season). Lionsgate officially announced Francis Lawrence as the director for Catching Fire on May 3, 2012. Two days later, it was reported that Michael Arndt was in talks to re-write the script for Catching Fire. On May 24, 2012, the film was renamed The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Arndt was confirmed as the new writer of the script. The film featured sequences filmed in the IMAX format. Filming Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth all dyed their hair for the movie once again. Lawrence went back to training to get in shape for the role while the supporting cast undertook training in preparation for the arena scenes. Production officially began on September 10, 2012 with shooting concluding for some of the cast on December 21, 2012. After the Christmas break, filming resumed for two weeks in mid January for some of the main cast and was placed on hold for awards season. Principal photography resumed and concluded in March 2013. Shooting first took place in and around metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia and then moved to Hawaii, to shoot the arena scenes. The cast and crew were on a busy schedule, working 14-hour days and six days a week. In an interview with MTV, Josh Hutcherson confirmed scenes in the film would use IMAX cameras by stating, "They're shooting, I think, all the stuff in the arena is going to be IMAX". Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth were in Ringwood, New Jersey shooting District 12 scenes involving snow for the beginning of the film on January 31 and February 1. Jennifer Lawrence confirmed that she would fly out to Hawaii on February 25, the day after the 85th Academy Awards to shoot for the final 9 days along with Claflin and Hutcherson. In late March, filming occurred in the Universal Studios back lot and was kept extremely secretive. Witnesses reported of towers and fences on set. None of the main cast are believed to have been on set. Reshoots were scheduled for April 13 in Atlanta. Base camp was set up at Executive Park off North Druid Hills Road. Filming also occurred at Goat Farm Art Center in Atlanta. Francis Lawrence has estimated an hour of Arena scenes. Unlike the first movie, cameras were be mounted to avoid the shaky-cam look that was present previously. In an IMAX featurette, Francis Lawrence also confirmed that scenes taking place in the Arena were shot on IMAX cameras to distinguish them from scenes external to the Arena. Approximately 50 minutes of the films footage was shot in the IMAX format, through the use of three IMAX 15 perf/65mm film cameras. Costumes Sarah Burton, creative director at Alexander McQueen, gave pieces of McQueen's collection to costume designer Trish Summerville. An outfit worn by Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket in an officially released film portrait appears identical to a piece from McQueen's fall/winter 2012 collection. Soundtrack In October 2012, composer James Newton Howard confirmed that he would return to score the film. British singer Ed Sheeran recorded three songs especially for the soundtrack, but Lionsgate refused the proposal. On May 14, 2013, Alexandra Patsavas was listed in the credits as the new music supervisor, replacing T Bone Burnett from the first film. Coldplay were announced as the first official artist to be featured on the Catching Fire soundtrack album, with their new song "Atlas", released worldwide on September 6, 2013. Christina Aguilera announced that her song, "We Remain", would be part of the official soundtrack of the film.[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_Aguilera 56]]Other artists that are featured on the global soundtrack include Of Monsters and Men with "Silhouettes", Sia featuring The Weeknd & Diplo with "Elastic Heart", The National with "Lean", The Weeknd with "Devil May Cry", Imagine Dragons with "Who We Are", Lorde with "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", The Lumineers with "Gale Song", Ellie Goulding with "Mirror", Patti Smith with "Capital Letter", Santigold with "Shooting Arrows at the Sky", Mikky Ekko with "Place for Us", Phantogram with "Lights", and Antony and the Johnsons with "Angel on Fire". Reception Box office [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games:_Catching_Fire#cite_note-56 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has earned $306,725,979 in North America and $276,500,000 internationally, for a worldwide total of $583,225,979.] ;Outside North America It was first released in Brazil on Friday, November 15, 2013,where it grossed $2.4 million on its opening day and $5.26 million for the weekend. On the following Wednesday and Thursday, it opened in 42 more territories, bringing its total to $32 million in a week. The film opened in 63 other territories and earned a total of $146.6 million in its first weekend. ;North America [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games:_Catching_Fire#cite_note-56 Catching Fire is 2013's top advance-ticket seller on Fandango. The film earned $25.3 million during Thursday late night showings. For its opening day, the movie topped the box office with an estimated $71.0 million, which is higher than its predecessor's opening day gross ($67.3 million) and is also the seventh highest single-day and opening day tally of all-time. During its opening weekend, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire claimed first place and grossed $158.1 million, which is an increase from its predecessor's opening weekend gross of $152.5 million, the second-highest opening grossing film of 2013 behind Iron Man 3 ($174.1 million), the sixth highest opening weekend of all-time, and also topped The Twilight Saga: New Moon's record ($142.9 million) for the highest weekend debut in November. In the following weekend, the film retained the No. 1 spot and also broke the record for highest overall 5-day Thanksgiving weekend total with over $110.2 million, surpassing Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone's record ($82.4 million). ] Critical response [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games:_Catching_Fire#cite_note-56 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire received broad critical acclaim from critics. Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 89% based on reviews from 207 professional critics, with a rating average of 7.6/10. The site's consensus states: "Smart, smoothly directed, and enriched with a deeper exploration of the franchise's thought-provoking themes, Catching Fire proves a thoroughly compelling second installment in the Hunger Games series." On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 based on reviews from critics, the film has a score of 75 (citing "generally favorable reviews") based on 47 reviews.According to polls conducted during the opening weekend by CinemaScore the average grade cinemagoers gave the film was an A on an A+ to F scale.] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games:_Catching_Fire#cite_note-56 The Hollywood Reporter said that the film has received "generally positive reviews" and CNN reported that reviews were "overwhelmingly positive" but noted that "an overarching complaint" was that it "runs needlessly long ... and the screenplay and direction do occasionally fall short." Entertainment Weekl''y said the consensus was that the sequel is "a more-confident, more-polished movie that delves deeper into Panem's political conflict". It also reported, "Critics are impressed that Lawrence commits to Katniss just as much as she would a complex David O. Russell character."] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games:_Catching_Fire#cite_note-56 Writing for ''The Village Voice, Stephanie Zacharek praised Jennifer Lawrence's performance, writing that the actress is "both on fire and in the process of becoming, and it’s magnificent to watch. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film 3.5 stars out of four and said, "Pop-culture escapism can be thrilling when dished out by experts. Katniss is a character worth a handful of sequels. And Lawrence lights up the screen. You'll follow her anywhere." He also commended supporting actors Sam Claflin and Jena Malone. Reviewing on Roger Ebert's website, Susan Wloszczyna of USA Today awarded the film three out of four stars, praising the acting of Jeffrey Wright, Amanda Plummer and Jena Malone and referring to the challenges of the arena as "visually intriguing." Wloszczyna writes: "...the one truly fresh invention—and the one that matters most—is Katniss herself. With each on-screen chapter, the poor girl from District 12 continues to fulfill her destiny as an inspiration and a rebel fighter." Ian Nathan of Empire gave the film 4 stars out of 5 and noted that it was even better that the first film. He praised director Lawrence for "taking a more muscular approach" and "sensibly downplaying" the love triangle, noting that "neither nor Gale, quite frankly, are fit to lay a pinky on Katniss' quiver". One fault he did find was in Philip Seymour Hoffman's "surprisingly ineffective performance".] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games:_Catching_Fire#cite_note-56 One negative review came from Sophie Monks Kaufman of Little White Lies, who praised Lawrence's performance but criticised the "dilution of the ingredients that made The Hunger Games so gripping." She also found fault with the "lumbering" plot, the "hamminess" of President Snow and Plutarch Heavensbee and the "lacklustre and unconvincing script culled from a dramatically difficult book". David Denby of The New Yorker argued that the premise "doesn't make a lot of sense". He praised the "impressive" first act and Jennifer Lawrence, for "projecting the kind of strength that Katharine Hepburn had when she was young." However, he found the second act "attenuated and rhythmless" and criticised the "incoherent" finale that "will send the audience scurrying back to the book to find out what’s supposed to be going on".] Accolades